Thomas Kutzman is Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Prevu, a customer-focused digital home buying platform delivering industry-leading efficiency and savings. Frustrated over the lack of control and transparency he experienced throughout the home buying process, he launched Prevu in 2017 with his good friend, Chase Marsh, to establish a smarter way to transact. Before Prevu, Thomas spent 12 years working at highly established asset management firms in both the US and Europe, where he gained valuable experience investing in technology companies. He has been an active real estate investor for over a decade. Thomas holds a BS in Finance & Accounting from the Stern School of Business at NYU.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
- Brian Chesky Co-founder of Airbnb
- Joe Gebbia Co-founder of Airbnb
- Nathan Blecharczyk Co-founder of Airbnb
- Gary Vaynerchuk
When business started difficulties overcame:
“as a first-time founder I would say the toughest part is the learnings along the way. If you are a serial entrepreneur and you have seen the playbook and you know the pattern recognition it definitely becomes easier as you approach your second or third venture. So there were definitely moments in the early days of founding the company where we found ourselves having to seek out answers to things whether it was on the legal front, on the technological front. It’s really all about those early learnings.”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- Setting the Table: Lessons and inspirations from one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs Book by Danny Meyer
- Marketing to the Entitled Consumer: How to Turn Unreasonable Expectations into Lasting Relationships Book by Nick Worth and Dave Frankland and Josh Bernoff
Favourite Quote:
” We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” Will Durant
Recommended Online Resources:
- Overcast App – Podcast player app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
- Apple Podcasts – Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Apple Podcasts
- This Week In Startups with Jason Calacanis. Click the following link to to listen to the Jason Calacanis Podcast episode on The Entrepreneur Way
- How I Built This
- The CMO Podcast – Jim Stengel, former CMO of the largest marketer in the world Procter Gamble , and now small company entrepreneur sits down for intimate conversations with the most dynamic CMOs from all over the industry
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“experimentation and innovation: we are big believers that the data will guide you and just be responsive to that data. Don’t be afraid to make some changes that could lead to unlocking the real secret sauce of what’s going to drive the next wave of the growth of your business. So, don’t be stubborn and just continually experiment and iterate. Every great company does it and I think you will be really much better off by having that data”…[Listen for More]
More About Thomas Kutzman:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“There is only one boss; the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” Sam Walton
Other Quotes From the Chat with Thomas Kutzman:
- “I think you have to be starting to plan for the fundraising process and thinking about that even as early as when you first start the business before you have that traction to go and talk to investors. So, I think there’s a lot of steps of preparation for your company habits, the attraction you are able to achieve to prove out a fundraising process.”
- “You have to be very cognizant of if you are going to be working on fundraising make sure you are doing it before business hours, after business hours to make sure your business doesn’t change due to the fundraising process”
- “you really have to believe in what you are working on”
- “if you are not passionate about what you are doing and if you are not willing to stay late to 8 or 9 o’clock working on a project or you are not logging in on the weekends I don’t believe you are truly passionate about what you are working on”
- “as easy as it is to become an entrepreneur nowadays with just the seamless of technology et cetera I think it’s still a lot of risk for an individual to take especially early in their career where they might not have the financial resources or wherewithal to pursue something without financial backing”
- “People come for the food but they come back for the service”
- “if you are not trying to delight the customer at every turn you are probably in the wrong business”
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